The Missouri Department of Transportation said the eastbound ramp bridge from Interstate 70 to Interstate 35 on the west edge of downtown Kansas City has been closed immediately for repairs.Inspectors said they found significant structural deterioration and ordered the ramp bridge closed until repairs could be made. Repairs could take two or three weeks or more.Photos released by MoDOT showed rusted holes under the bridge.The bridge was built in 1967, and thousands of vehicles use it every day.Drivers have been asked to take alternate routes until further notice.KMBC 9 News found 58 bridges in Jackson County, Missouri, alone listed as structurally deficient. With traffic increasing and not enough funding, the problem will likely get worse.“These bridges get older every year. They rust a little more. They wear out a little more each year,” said Brian Kidwell, the MoDOT assistant district engineer for the Kansas City region. “It’s really rust and corrosion, where water leaks through from expansion joints and the salt. It kind of sits on these structural items.”He said MoDOT plans to use more steel to fix the holes under the bridge.According to the Infrastructure Report Card, one in nine of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient, which means they need significant work.In the nation’s major metropolitan areas, more than 200 million trips are taken every day across deficient bridges.MoDOT said drivers should not be concerned while driving.“They’re safe when they drive up and down the roads,” Kidwell said. “I mean, we have a lot of people with a lot of expertise that make sure that what you drive on is safe.”MoDOT said future funding is an area of bigger concern. In 2017, projections show the program will have $325 million to spend on projects, but $485 million will be needed to maintain roads that already exist. That could, Kidwell said, leave some bridges sitting and waiting to be worked on until funds come.In Jackson and Clay counties in Missouri, 29 percent of all bridges are considered deficient, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In Cass County, it’s 24 percent. In Wyandotte County, Kansas, 22 percent of the bridges are deficient and 14 percent have that designation in Johnson County, Kansas. 11833402

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

The Missouri Department of Transportation said the eastbound ramp bridge from Interstate 70 to Interstate 35 on the west edge of downtown Kansas City has been closed immediately for repairs.

Inspectors said they found significant structural deterioration and ordered the ramp bridge closed until repairs could be made. Repairs could take two or three weeks or more.

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MoDOT

Photos released by MoDOT showed rusted holes under the bridge.

The bridge was built in 1967, and thousands of vehicles use it every day.Drivers have been asked to take alternate routes until further notice.

KMBC 9 News found 58 bridges in Jackson County, Missouri, alone listed as structurally deficient. With traffic increasing and not enough funding, the problem will likely get worse.

“These bridges get older every year. They rust a little more. They wear out a little more each year,” said Brian Kidwell, the MoDOT assistant district engineer for the Kansas City region. “It’s really rust and corrosion, where water leaks through from expansion joints and the salt. It kind of sits on these structural items.”

He said MoDOT plans to use more steel to fix the holes under the bridge.

According to the Infrastructure Report Card, one in nine of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient, which means they need significant work.

In the nation’s major metropolitan areas, more than 200 million trips are taken every day across deficient bridges.

MoDOT said drivers should not be concerned while driving.

“They’re safe when they drive up and down the roads,” Kidwell said. “I mean, we have a lot of people with a lot of expertise that make sure that what you drive on is safe.”

MoDOT said future funding is an area of bigger concern. In 2017, projections show the program will have $325 million to spend on projects, but $485 million will be needed to maintain roads that already exist. That could, Kidwell said, leave some bridges sitting and waiting to be worked on until funds come.

In Jackson and Clay counties in Missouri, 29 percent of all bridges are considered deficient, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In Cass County, it’s 24 percent. In Wyandotte County, Kansas, 22 percent of the bridges are deficient and 14 percent have that designation in Johnson County, Kansas.